Bowling-alley.



No, 709,|63. Patented sept. I6, |902;

H. B. LAHH.

BOWLING ALLEY.

' (Application mea mm. 2:1, 1902.)

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.,

HENRY B. LAIIR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOv BOWLING BALL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming 'part of Letters Patent No. 709,163, dated September 16, 1902.

Application filed January 27, 1902. Serial No. 91,322. (No model.) I

zen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bowling-Alleys, of which y the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in bowling-alleys, and has more particularly for its object to provide a bowling-alley having a runway extending lengthwise of the alley, the said runway having an inclined portion at its rear end and a substantially horizontal portion leading therefrom to its front end and a separate transverse runway located across the rear end of the alley in position to permit the ball to drop therefrom onto the inclined portion of the longitudinal runway.

Afurther object is to provide a device of the above character whereby the balls may be delivered to the front end of the runway accu rately at a predetermined speed irrespective of the speed with which they are started by the pin-boy.

` A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanyingr drawings, in which- A 1 Figure l shows a bowling-alley in plan comprising six alleys. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken in the plane of the line A A of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the` l. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of the adjacent ends of the transverse runway and the longitudinal runway,together with the stop for insuring the balls dropping from the transverse runwa'y onto the said longitudinal runway.

`The longitudinal runway extending lengthwise of the alleys is herein shown` as comprising an inclined portion 1 at its rear end and a substantially horizontal portion 2,eX tending from the base of the incline to the forward end of the runway. This runway is further shown as provided at its forward end with a laterally-extended branch 3, serving to bring the balls into a convenient position for the bowlers at the front or delivery end of the alley. The inclined portion l may be so arranged that it will give the required impetus `venient reach of the bowlers.

to the ball when dropped thereon to cause the ball tofroll to the front end of the runway at the required speed. A transverse runway is located across the rear or back end of the alley, and it is arranged in position to cause the ball when it rolls therefrom to drop onto the inclined portion l of the longitudinal runway. A stop or buffer 5 is spaced from the delivery end of the transverse runway 4 in position to receive the impact of the ball as 'it runs along the said transverse runway and insure the dropping of the ball onto the inclined portion of the longitudinal runway. This stop 5 is perferably of angular form, as shown, and it is of suflicient size to prevent the ball from bounding olf the longitudinal runway when it is dropped thereon. The receiving end of the transverse runway 4 may be left open, if so desired, for facilitating the throw of the balls thereinto by the pin-boys. This transverse runway 4 preferably has a slight downward inclination, so as to insure Athe rolling of the balls along the same down to the delivery end of the said transverse runway. This transverse runway 4 may be made of any desired length, so as to extend across one or more of the alleys. Y

In the accompanying` drawings I have shown six alleys with two oppositely-directed transverse runways for dropping the balls onto the inclined portions of two longitudinal runways, the front ends of the said longitudinal runways being turned laterally toward each other for bringing the balls into con- Itis to be understood that these alleys may be supported in any desired manner, that shown herein being a plurality of supporting-posts 6 for the longitudinal runways and supporting-posts 7 for the transverse runways. l

It will be seen that this construction obviates the necessity of an incline for the balls at the forward end of the runway, for the reason that the ball will always be dropped onto the inclined portion of the longitudinal lineat a predetermined speed entirely irrespective of the speed with which the pin-boy delivers the ball into the transverse runway.

The inclined portion l of the runway may be formed at a suflicient degree of inclination to insure the delivery'of the balls at the IOO front end of the longitudinal runway at such a low speed as to preclude the possibility of nicking the balls.

It is evident that changes might be resorted to in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish tol limit myself strictly to the structure herein set forth; but

What I claim isl. In a bowling-alley, a runway extending lengthwise of the alley and having an inclined portion at its rear endand a separate transverse runway extending across the alley, a1'- ranged to permit the ball to drop therefrom onto the incline of the longitudinal runway, substantially as set forth.

2. In a bowlingalley, a runway extending lengthwise of the alley and having an inclined portion atits rear end and asubstantially horizontal portion leading therefrom to its front end and a separate transverse runway located across the rear end of the alley and arranged to permit the ball to drop therefrom onto the inclined portion of the longitudinal runway, substantially as set forth.

3. In a bowling-alley, a runway extending lengthwise of the alley and having an inclined portion at its rear end, a separate transverse runway located across the rear end of the alley and arranged to permit the ball to drop therefrom onto the inclined portion of the longitudinal runway and a stop arranged in position to cause the ball to drop onto the said longitudinal runway, substantially as set forth.

4. In a bowling-alley, a longitudinal runway, a branch runway leading laterally therefrom at the front end of the alley and a separate transverse runway located across the rear end of the alley and arranged to permit the ball to drop therefrom onto the longitudinal runway, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 22d day of January, 1902.

HENRY B. LAHR.

Witnesses:

FREDK. I-IAYNEs, C. S. SUNDGREN. 

